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D. M. SPRINGER. MOLDING APPARATUS.

No 552,076. Patented Dec. 24, 1395.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet-2. D. M. SPRINGER. MOLDING APPARATUS.

Patented Dec. 24, 1895. Iz'y 45;;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL M. SPRINGER, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO THE THOMAS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MOLDING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,076, dated December 24, 1895. Application filed OctoberlQ, 1893. Serial No. 488,625. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: fastened to each other forming a complete Be it known that I, DANIEL M. SPRINGER, mold.

of Little Rock, Arkansas, have made a new The same letters of reference denote the and useful Improvement in the Manufacture same parts.

5 of (last-Metal Pulleys, \Vheels, and other Cast In carrying out the present improvement I Circular Articles, of which the following is a employ an apparatus consisting principally of 5 5 full, clear, and exact description. the following parts: two similar flask parts This improvement relates to a molding ap- A and A, a roller B, a flask O and a base-plate paratus, as is hereinafter set forth and D. The flask parts are for forming and hold- IO claimed, aided by the annexed drawings, making that wall of the mold against which the ing part of this specification, in which face of the rim of the pulley, &c., is produced.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pulley ca- The thickness of the rim is also formed in that pable of being made by means of the improvepart of the mold which is held in the flask ment under consideration; Fig. 2, a cross-secparts.

r5 tion on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan of The flask C is for forming that part of the the base-plate which forms part of the appamold E in which the spokes and hub, or that ratus in question; Fig. 4, a cross-section on portion of the casting which is within the the line 4; 4 of Fig. 3 Fig. 5, a top View of one rim, is made. It is also for forming that part of the parts of the flask; Fig. 6, an inside eleof the mold against which the inner side of 20 vation of the same; Fig. '7, an outside elevathe pulley-rim is cast. The base-plate not tion of the same; Fig. 8, a plan of the roller only serves to sustain the mold during the that is used in conjunction with the flask casting operation but also to facilitate the parts in forming the .mold; Fig. 9, a plan of assembling and the relative adjustment of the removable plate which forms the bottom the 1nold-sections. The roller is used in con- 25 of one of the flasks; Fig. 10, an edge elevation junction with the outer flask parts. Certain of the same; Fig. 11, an elevation, from the portions of the flask parts and of the flask O inner side thereof, of the flask for forming are concentrically madethat is, in arcs of the inner moldsection; Fig. 12, atop View of circles whose centers coincide with that of the same; Fig. 13, an elevation of the same, the center of the articles to be cast, and the 0 looking in the direction of the arrow 13 of center of such portions is the center of the Fig. 12 Fig. 14:, a top view of the same concasting made therein, and this is the leading taining the patterns for forming the hub and feature of the apparatus under consideration. spoke-chambers of the mold; Fig. 15, a sec- \Vhile more and larger surfaces of the flask tion on the line 15 15 of Fig. 14, the flask beparts can be thus constructed I employ in 3 5 ing partially filled with sand; Fig. 16, an ineach flask part two surfaces only-namely,

side elevation of one-half of the inner moldthe flanges a a which are respectively at section, the cores employed in forming the or near the ends of the flask parts. The bore of the hubs being in position and the inner edge a of each of said flanges is mold-section resting upon the bottom of the curved circularly, the center of said curves 40 flask; Fig. 17, an inside elevation of one of being as stated, the axis passing transversely the outer flask parts having the sand molded through the center of the ultimate casting, 0 therein; Fig. 18, a View showing in elevation and the curves being in the plane of the face and from the inner side thereof one-half of of the rim of the casting. Between the the entire mold, and it is shown resting upon flanges the flask part is hollowed out suit- 5 the base-plate; Fig. 19, a top View of the mold ably and substantially, as shown, to form a supportedupon the bas'e-plate,the two halves receptacle a for the sand of that part of 5 of the mold being separated from each other; the mold. The shell a of the flask part is and Fig. 20, a view similar to that of Fig. 19, preferably circular, although not necessarily, but showing the mold-sections assembled and as it might be otherwise shaped without debrought into requisition.

parting from the principle of the improvement. It is suitably perforated at a to provide for venting the mold. Each flask part has flanges a a to provide for uniting the flask parts in completing the mold.

A portion of the mold is formed in the flask parts. For this purpose the roller B is The roller has portions 12 and Z), which in the use of the roller ride upon the flanges a a respectively of the flask part, and b b are guide-flanges spaced just far enough apart to come upon the outer sides respectively of the flanges a a. The roller is for pressing the sand in the flask part properly into shape to form the outer portion of the mold. So far as forming the face of the rim of the pulley or other casting is concerned the roller throughout its length between the guide-flanges may be of uniform diameterthat is, it may have the same diameter as that of the portions Z) I); but as I prefer to form the thickness of the pulley-rim in that part of the mold which is con tained in the flask parts I provide the roller with bands or band-like projections 19 N, which in width, contour and thickness correspond to the width, contour and thickness of the intended rim of the casting, and accordingly after the roller has been rolled forward and backward upon the flask part flanges a a, recesses e c are formed in the sand, substantially as shown in Fig. 17 At the points 17 b b the roller is of uniform diameter with the portions Z) Z) to enable walls 0 e e of sand to be formed in the mold at each side of the recesses e e, substantially as shown in Fig. 17. One-half of the outer portion of the mold is similarly formed in each of the flask parts A and A. When the flask parts are semicircular two of them suflice to form the mold. If they are less than semicircular obviously more than two flask parts will be required.

As thus far described provision has been made whereby the face and thickness of the rim portion of the casting can be produced. The mold for that portion of the casting which is within the rim, including the Wall for the inner side of the pulley-rim, is obtained by means of the flask O. This last-named part has the inner side 0 of its shell 0 curved to conform to the curvature of the inner surface of the rim portion of the casting. The other principal parts of the flask O are the plate 0 which, when applied to the shell 0'', incloses a semicylindrical space, and a semicircular plate 0 which forms the bottom of the flask 0. The plate 0 has a print in the form of a semicircular rib 0 extending vertically and centrally thereon, and the plate 0 has a rib 0 extending transversely and centrally thereon, all substantially as shown. The flask O is designed for forming one-half of the described central portion of the mold, and to form the other or remaining portion a similar flask O is employed, or after making one half of said central portion the other half thereof can be made in the same flask 0, providing an additional bottom plate is used. To form the mold of the portion of such central partwhich is within the rim the plate 0 is inserted in the shell 0, to rest upon a ledge c thereon, and the plate 0 having a suitable sectional pat tern F provided (when a pulley is to be made) with hub portions f, a central core f of suitable material and spoke portions f properly centered and arranged, is, by means of suitable fastenings 0", attached to the shell 0, all substantially as shown, and the sand is rammed into the flask C, as indicated in Fig. 15. The plate 0 and the attached print are then removed and the patterns f and f withdrawn from the sand. The described half of the central portion of the mold, resting upon the bottom plate 0 is then removed from the shell 0. The other half of the central portion of the mold is similarly made. The entire mold in this manner has now been produced, but in four separate portions-namely, the two portions which have been formed, and

' which now remain held in the two flask parts,

respectively, and the two portions which have been made in the flask or flasks O, and which now each rest upon a bottom plate 0 It remains to assemble these parts and properly unite them to complete the mold, and for this purpose the base-plate is brought into requisition. Said plate has flanges (Z cl eX- tending longitudinally upon the plate and spaced far enough apart from each other to receive between them and sustain the two flask parts. The base-plate also has a central rib d grooved at d, and two ribs d d arranged, respectively, at the sides of said central rib, and said three last-mentioned ribs serving to sustain the bottom plates, as shown. The rib upon the under side of the bottom plates engages in the groove in the central rib. The two halves of the central section of the mold are properly brought face to face and in contact with each other, thebottom plates of the flask 0 being slipped upon the base-plate, and guided by the bottom plateribs engagingin the grooved rib, as described, until the mold-sections are in contact. The

two flask parts containing their respective portions of the mold are then slipped upon the base-plate until they meet and are fastened together, as in Fig. 20. When the parts are thus assembled the bottom plates of the flasks meet the flanges a of the two outer flask parts, and the sand of the central portion of the mold meets the sand of the flask portion of the mold at the points 6 6 e and also meets the upper flanges a, all as indicated in Fig. 18. The mold is now complete and the casting is poured in the ordinary manner.

As illustrated in the drawings, provision is made for casting two pulleys at once. The apparatus can be designed for casting one or more pulleys, as preferred. The various projections b b upon the roller are preferably in the form of bands which are loose upon a shaft, the object being to enable the different parts of the roller to rotate independently of each other-that is, the roller in the present instance is composed of a shaft 19 and the bands 19 12 The shaft is the part which rolls upon the flanges a a and the bands as stated are the portions which form the recesses in the mold. Each of these parts can rotate independently of the other as the roller is rolled over the flanges a a and the sand, and thus the work of molding the sand can be readily and properly performed. Bands of different widths can be interchangeably used.

The various described parts of the present apparatus, to obtain the best results, should be accurately made. The flask parts should be accurately constructed and fitted to each other to enable the flanges a ct to jointly form perfect circles whose center is the center of the casting to be made, and the flask parts and the coacting portion of the flask 0 should be accurately relatively constructed to enable the space in which the rim of the pulley is molded to be of uniform thickness, or otherwise constructed to suit the special shape of the casting being made, and the base-plate should have its side flanges and its central groove, or whatever equivalent feature is substituted for such central groove, properly relatively arranged, substantially as shown, to enable the flask portions and the central portions of the mold to be assembled concentrically. The pulley is thus enabled to be cast in a mold whose center and circular portions are mechanically true, and with reason-.

able care in molding the mold and the pulley should be and are exactly made. The roller when used as described solidifies the surface portion of the sand where the face of the pulley is molded, but the sand farther back in the flask part is not so much compacted, and thus a better outlet is provided for venting the gases.

There is much less liability in the present pulley-molding apparatus that there will be any unequal expansion or I giving way of the mold before the molten metal, and hence there is more certainty that the pulley-rim will be of uniform thickness throughout and the pulley thereby better balanced.

Another advantage accruing from the improvement is that any desired crown, or any special shape, can be imparted to the pulleyrim. By suitably shaping the band or bands upon the roller any desired form, in the respects mentioned, can be produced in the pulley or other casting being made. A grooved pulleysuch, for instance, as used in transmitting power by means of ropes or a flanged pulleycan be as easily made as a smooth pulley. It will be noted that the flanges a a upon the flask parts are the means for gaging the impression produced in the sand in the flask parts; and while I prefer to employ a roller such as shown, and while the desired impression in the sand of the flask part is produced more satisfactorily by rolling the roller upon the flask-flanges a a, I desire not in all cases to be restricted thereto, as other means may be employed in connection with said flanges to produce the desired impression in the sand.

The flask part or parts may be used for making splitpulleys. After molding a flask part and a half-central-mold portion in the manner described said part and portion may be arranged concentrically, and the space between them by any suitable means, (not shown,) be closed to form a complete mold in which a half of a split pulley may be cast, and by repeating the operation the two pulleyhalves are obtained. Any needed lugs to be used in uniting the parts of the pulley may be specially provided for in shaping the mold.

I do not broadly claim herein the series of mold-sections, the stackingplatform and the guides for directing the molds into position on the platform.

I claim-- 1. The herein described apparatus for making molds for pulleys and other cast-circular articles,consisting in combination of the outer flask-parts, the inner flask-part, the support for the central mold sections, and the baseplate, said flask-parts and support being adapted to be assembled concentrically upon the base-plate.

2. The combination of the base plate flanged at its sides and grooved centrally, with the outer flask-parts and the support for the central portion of the mold provided with a lug.

3. The combination of the flask-part having the curved flanges and the sand receptacle and the roller having a band or bands loose thereon, substantially as described.

Witness my hand this 30th day of September, 1893.

DANIEL lVL SPRINGER.

Witnesses:

H. H. SoHMUoK, BEN. D. SCHAAD. 

